Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 11:50 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 11:50 p.m.

Facts

SEEKING 30-0

Spartanburg Methodist’s basketball bus broke down by the side of I-26 before even getting out of the county, a second bus got stuck in Columbia traffic and the Pioneers didn’t get to the arena until about 30 minutes from the scheduled tip-off.

But when the game started, it was smooth driving.

Top-ranked SMC improved to 28-0 on Wednesday night with a 65-51 win against Aiken Tech. The Pioneers led by 20-plus for nearly the entire second half.

“We came out focused and ready to play,” SMC head coach Jeff Brookman said. “We were knocking down shots early and that definitely helped our defense. Any time you can hold the other team to 21 points in the first half (for an 11-point lead), you’re doing something right.”

Luckily for the Pioneers, a spirit bus left the SMC campus just about the same time the team was stranded near Dorman High School. So the Pioneers took that one and left the others waiting for a replacement. But then came the traffic, hampered further by a rush-hour wreck.

“We were excited to get here. We were ready to play,” said Ronell Crockett (T.L. Hanna), who scored 15 points. “I think all that stuff might have even helped us because we didn’t have a long wait. We got here and were ready to roll.”

The replacement spirit bus with fans, cheerleaders, mascot and school president, pulled up to Aiken Tech with about 12 minutes to go in the first half. The all filed into a section behind the basket on the SMC bench end of the court.

By then, Ben Johnson (Boiling Springs) had just made his third straight 3-pointer. He made another one moments later and SMC owned a 22-8 lead. The Pioneers went 0-for-21 in their last road game.

“I felt good tonight,” Johnson said. “I wasn’t sure it would be that way because we didn’t have a lot of time to warm up. But it’s good for a shooter to get that first one down. It gave me a lot of confidence.”

Johnson finished with those 12 points (4-for-5 on 3-pointers). Jalen Nesbitt (Chapman) led the way with 16 points. Kelsey Terry added nine.

SMC, which has already qualified for the NJCAA tournament next month in Hutchinson, Kansas, has two regular-season games remaining, both at home. The Pioneers play Saturday afternoon against Denmark Tech and then close it out with a non-conference game against the Limestone JV team.

“We knew how important the game was to finish the road part of the regular season,” Nesbitt said. “Maybe some teams would let up if they had already punched their ticket. But not us.”

Aiken Tech (11-13, 5-4 Region 10) got within nine on the first possession of the second half, but then SMC ripped of nine straight points than turned into a 16-2 run.

Those who came on the spirit bus, just like the bus itself, gave the Pioneers a lift. SMC’s crowd was much louder than the home crowd, despite an effort by Aiken Tech to avoid that by not charging admission and not airing the game on the radio.

“It felt like we had more fans than they did,” Brookman said. “It was unbelievable. The support we’ve had in the last month or month and a half has been just great.”

<p>AIKEN — Getting there was the hardest part.</p><p>Spartanburg Methodist's basketball bus broke down by the side of I-26 before even getting out of the county, a second bus got stuck in Columbia traffic and the Pioneers didn't get to the arena until about 30 minutes from the scheduled tip-off.</p><p>But when the game started, it was smooth driving.</p><p>Top-ranked SMC improved to 28-0 on Wednesday night with a 65-51 win against Aiken Tech. The Pioneers led by 20-plus for nearly the entire second half.</p><p>“We came out focused and ready to play,” SMC head coach Jeff Brookman said. “We were knocking down shots early and that definitely helped our defense. Any time you can hold the other team to 21 points in the first half (for an 11-point lead), you're doing something right.”</p><p>Luckily for the Pioneers, a spirit bus left the SMC campus just about the same time the team was stranded near Dorman High School. So the Pioneers took that one and left the others waiting for a replacement. But then came the traffic, hampered further by a rush-hour wreck.</p><p>“We were excited to get here. We were ready to play,” said Ronell Crockett (T.L. Hanna), who scored 15 points. “I think all that stuff might have even helped us because we didn't have a long wait. We got here and were ready to roll.”</p><p>The replacement spirit bus with fans, cheerleaders, mascot and school president, pulled up to Aiken Tech with about 12 minutes to go in the first half. The all filed into a section behind the basket on the SMC bench end of the court.</p><p>By then, Ben Johnson (Boiling Springs) had just made his third straight 3-pointer. He made another one moments later and SMC owned a 22-8 lead. The Pioneers went 0-for-21 in their last road game. </p><p>“I felt good tonight,” Johnson said. “I wasn't sure it would be that way because we didn't have a lot of time to warm up. But it's good for a shooter to get that first one down. It gave me a lot of confidence.”</p><p>Johnson finished with those 12 points (4-for-5 on 3-pointers). Jalen Nesbitt (Chapman) led the way with 16 points. Kelsey Terry added nine.</p><p>SMC, which has already qualified for the NJCAA tournament next month in Hutchinson, Kansas, has two regular-season games remaining, both at home. The Pioneers play Saturday afternoon against Denmark Tech and then close it out with a non-conference game against the Limestone JV team.</p><p>“We knew how important the game was to finish the road part of the regular season,” Nesbitt said. “Maybe some teams would let up if they had already punched their ticket. But not us.”</p><p>Aiken Tech (11-13, 5-4 Region 10) got within nine on the first possession of the second half, but then SMC ripped of nine straight points than turned into a 16-2 run.</p><p>Those who came on the spirit bus, just like the bus itself, gave the Pioneers a lift. SMC's crowd was much louder than the home crowd, despite an effort by Aiken Tech to avoid that by not charging admission and not airing the game on the radio.</p><p>“It felt like we had more fans than they did,” Brookman said. “It was unbelievable. The support we've had in the last month or month and a half has been just great.”</p>